In Beneath
by GoldenArcadia
Summary: Its several years after the events of the Dragonborn. Skyrim is a dangerous place for a well-bred elf such as herself. Sera is a strong-headed healer and the last of the Maormer race as she knows it. But who is willing to help her and who is willing to give her up? Pairing undecided.


1

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><p>The next morning when the inhabitants of Karthwasten awoke they found that their small settlement was swallowed up by fog. For the most part, a few of them were wary to leave their houses and march off into it to work the mines. The fog was so thick that the neighbors could not see each others cottages, or where the spooking goats called fearfully in the mist. It was almost as if the fog had suddenly appeared, shrouding Karthwasten away from the rest of Nirn.<p>

Ainethach had never seen anything quite like it in all his years of living in Karthwasten. Generation down the generation! The Breton stood at the post of his doorway, scratching his chin in slight awe to try and make something out of it. The Reach had always been known to occasionally "disappear" in the clouds. But this felt completely different. It curdled his stomach and clenched his muscles fit to flee. If he was to run his hand through the mist an unmistakable enigmatic static would chase goosebumps up his arms.

By the nines.. It wasn't natural.

He was not expecting to see a shadowy figure appear before him and the vision jolted his heart to race. His hand flew to the hilt of his sheathed dagger at his side. "Who goes there?" He demanded, a cold sweat forming on his brow.

"Please.. Lower your weapon.. I do not mean any harm.."

He did not expect an intelligent reply from the shadowy figure. It surprised him. It was soft and feminine and it seemed to see him clearer than he could into it. The words wound a spell at his hand and Ainethach released his hold on his knife - only to hover. He was still hesitant and refused to move. Was it perhaps a trick? Had those damn Hargravens gotten stronger?

"Show yourself," he ordered.

He noted the hesitance of the response. Stepping closer, the mist slowly unveiled a figure of a woman. Cool tones of blonde tresses were pulled back in a half-braid down to her hips. She was small figured, perhaps had not had a proper meal in a while, yet womanly enough seen shapefully through the thick robes hanging off her body. Her milky complexion was smeared with dirt. She was pretty, Ainethach thought. Prettier than most he had seen. But what disturbed him most was her ears. They were pointed. Like an elf.

"We don't assist your kind," he snapped, ready to protect his home. Elves always brought around trouble eventually.

"Before you judge, please listen," she interjected quickly before he had a chance to reach for his blade again. "I am merely looking for sanctuary."

He gave her an incredulous look, paranoid that people were watching him from inside the mist. "Sanctuary from what?"

She was hesitant. Doe-like hues of the deepest blue suddenly looked distant. She looked like she was at war with her thoughts. If she were to tell the truth, he would deny her. But if she lied, her guilty conscience would break her eventually. "..The Thalmor."

Ainethach barked a dark laugh, ready to kick her hind back out into Nirn. She saw this and took a half-step back in fear. "You don't think we got enough trouble as it is without your kind stirring it further here? My bloodline has been here for generations. Generations, I tell you! If the damn Forsworn isn't attacking us, the Nords are trying to take this land as their own!"

"There shall be no harm coming to you or your people, the Thalmor have lost my scent long ago across Skyrim. If there was a chance Thalmor would arrive I would already be gone into the night so no harm comes to you," she pleaded. "I swear it."

Ainethach stiffened, his eyes darting around the fog then quickly giving up to land back on the elf at his steps. "And why exactly should I say yes to a fugitive?" The last word came out as a hiss, though the female did not seem offended.

"Because I can be of use to you," she replied, her voice smooth, honest and raw with hope. "You are a small mining settlement, constantly harassed by outside forces. Your men, women and children are at risk and without a close source of help, you chance more of your men to leave your town and gather aid from the bigger city. Without them, what happens if you are attacked again or worse?"

The Breton's throat went from bubbling with venom to dry as sand. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm a healer, and I'm offering my services as long as I am offered sanctuary." She bowed her head, opening her palms by her side in a peaceful gesture. "Nothing more, nothing less."

Ainethach paled as thoughts dashed fleetingly like deers leaping away from a predator. Weighing his options quietly, the Breton's eyes roamed up and down her clothed body, looking for a lie. Narrowing his gaze, he nodded for her to follow him inside Karthwasten Hall. She looked good enough. Her face was easy to read. Almost too easy. "Come with me," he eventually said. "We'll continue this inside."

The elf followed him up until he stopped at the open door. Inside, she could see the fireplace, the stone and the wood. Tables and chairs, the rug on the floor. If things turned for the worse while they were both inside, she would have a hard time escaping. At least in the fog, she could run. She had done so twice before. But Riften..

"Something the matter?" Ainethach interjected.

She shook her head and spared him no glance. She would have to be firm as she took a step inside. Ainethach closed the door behind them both.

"Now, as I was saying-"

"Sit." He interrupted, locking the door with a flick of his thumb. The elf seemed slightly dumbfounded before she submissively took a seat at the table, the heat from the hearth licking along her back. Her pulse raced nervously, slicking her palms with a cold sweat.

Ainethach eyed her from the door, assessing the situation he put himself in. "Who are you?"

"My name is Sera."

"Who are you working for?" His voice grew colder.

"I am not working for anyone."

Neither of them enjoyed where the conversation was heading. "Who are you working for?" He repeated. "The Forsworn or the Nords?"

She looked slightly frustrated. "They both hate the elves. Why would they ever hire one as an informant?"

"Men change colors when they want power over land." They could be testing him. Setting him up by changing the game..

"I doubt true Nords would ever change their minds about us."

"Perhaps your working with the Thalmor? Is that it?"

"The Thalmor are an enemy even to me."

Ainethach wasn't getting what he wanted but he didn't reveal his impatience. Just like the wind kept howling at the mountains to move, Sera did not shift a bit. She was too enigmatic for him, a book on his shelf that remained a mystery. He would almost commend her if he wasn't so bothered by it. He decided to warm himself up by the fireplace, catching his dull reflection in a glossed bowl as he mused another direction of his conversation. "Forgive my previous questions, Sera," he said, hands behind his back. "Can I ask how you made it to Karthwasten within this weather?"

"The fog does not restrict my vision."

"Ainethach." He turned his head to the side. "Was the fog your doing?"

Sera felt rather amused by his question. "I cannot control the weather, Ainethach. But it was favorable in keeping my journey hidden from wandering eyes. I kept within it while following the river."

"I see." Ainethach muttered. He would never set foot in that damn city while those bastard Silver-Bloods breathing the same very air. He ran a hand through his thick dark hair. There was still something that she was holding back from him, something that Ainethach wanted to know.

But for now, he would keep his eyes on her. "We have not had a healer within Karthwasten since my grandfather was leader. I am not a young man, as you can see," Ainethach joked, those his eyes were cold and distant. "If you were to stay here you can share us some of your wisdom. The winter's are growing colder by the year. Rockjoint and fevers are our most common issue in Skyrim. We are a family here in Karthwasten. We look out for each other.

"If we are to accept you into our family, you must do what we do. You must work when we work and eat when we eat and abide by that each day. The cold weather restricts our crops until summer arrives again or when we get our trade from the city at the end of each month. We all have routines and we are all responsible for our roles. As long as your willing, then we will offer you a bed and a warm meal each day."

He turned to her and eventually sat down at the table. His own words calmed him, reminded him that he was still in control of Karthwasten. An elf like herself wouldn't take that away. Instead of seeing her as a burden, Ainethach could put her up to good use..

"While the men work at the mine, you'll be doing your own work. You'll take position as Healer of Karthwasten. You'll use the landscape to your own advantage as long as you aid my people and their health. Anything that jeopardizes that will result in me cutting off your head. Do I have that clear?"

Sera nodded. Apart from the threat he had clearly made if she had tried to do anything to hurt them she felt a weight lift of her shoulders. The Maormer elf smiled, though Ainethach did not do the same. His eyes however softened slightly. "I understand." She answered.

"Good. Then best we introduce you to Mena."


End file.
